For a year and a half he has worked with single mother Deanna Lowden and her 13-year-old son. The teen has struggled with extreme anger and violence issues that took him away from his family.

Myrto's intervention achieved the ultimate goal of mental health reform. It kept the boy with his mother.

Mental health advocates say those kinds of success stories might end if the state continues with a 33 percent rate cut for service providers. They say it defeats the purpose of transitioning patients out of state facilities into the community if businesses can't afford to help.

“If this cut were to hold as it was originally proposed, it would be devastating to the mental health system,” said John Tote, with the Mental Health Association. “Literally, in some communities it would collapse.”

The Department of Health and Human Services made the cuts because they felt the lesser trained, lesser paid workers were actually providing the mental health services. Because of this uproar, though, leaders have agreed not to make the cuts retroactive.

The department said it's now willing to work with providers to come up with a fair rate. The reduced mental health service rates will remain in effect until a final rate is decided on next week.

regularguy_nc-at-yahoo.comApr 13, 2007

Yeah... they must need to get them out of the nut house so they can come work in the REAL NUT HOUSE.. the state legislator, state house, whatever. Those sick, greedy bastards DO NOT CARE about the people of this country! I’m going to laugh my ass off when some paranoid insanidroid slaughters one of our government representatives… or maybe one of their children… well, I guess I could NOT laugh if it was a child.

gvmtcheeseApr 13, 2007

Don't worry guys, when one of these "clients" visits one of these corporate jackals, they will be signing a different law.

HeelzruleApr 13, 2007

unfortunately - it is those who needs the services that will suffer.

MiIkyApr 13, 2007

I hope the mental health services are there when I need them. Tic-toc-tic-toc

Joy4u2Apr 13, 2007

You know what I'm on disabilty and can not get my medicade or medicare until july because I droped it one time because I couldn't afford 98.00 taken out of my check a month, so I signed up agian and they pentilize me 6 months yeap thats out goverment for us. I go through a no profit I'm a bipolar 2 and its hard to live with every day a lot of people say its not real.I'm no 5 different meds. and God himself and the meds help. I only pray they don't do away with the mental help. Its not funny people, Its sad.

kris108Apr 13, 2007

Refiman......you are obviously not in the mental health field. God knows that we are NOT rich!!! People are not in this business to get rich. We have a genuine concern for those mentally ill that want to be productive citizens. You have no idea what your life would be like if there weren't peons like us mental health workers protecting people like you! Would love to know what you do for a living!

mslisac363Apr 13, 2007

That's way every job goes. The more work you do the less you get paid while the big checks go out to someone that talks on the phone all day or is in a lunching.

refimanApr 13, 2007

The providers are concerned because their pay checks are getting smaller. That is the true extent of their concern.

6Apr 13, 2007

The States mental health policies are a recipy for disaster. Individuals are commited to mental health facilities beacuse they are determined to be a danger to themselves or to others. The others part is the scary part. they stay in the facility foe a couple of days, I have commited the same person twice in one week. then they are released and trusted to take their medications. Its only a matter of time before this situation explodes.